1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a baseball training apparatus, and more particularly to a device which can be used to improve batting skills.
2. Description of the Related Art
One of the most desirable skills for a baseball player is to be able to get a hit and get on base. Getting on base with a good hit requires various batting skills including a fundamentally sound swing, a powerful swing, and an accurate swing that will meet the trajectory of a pitched baseball.
Over time, various techniques have been used to enhance the hitting skills of baseball players. Traditionally, players have trained by repeatedly trying to hit balls thrown by pitchers or machines. Generally, coaches watching the practice would instruct the player on form and techniques in an attempt to improve the player's swing.
It has been recognized that machines can be utilized to train player's in a manner to improve their swing and therefore improve their chances of getting a hit. One example of such a machine is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,546 to Stewart entitled Baseball Power Swing Trainer. The Stewart patent discloses a machine having two barriers, such as two small tires, adjustably mounted one above the other. A player swings at the gap between the tires. One premise of the Stewart patent was that a level swing was the most desirable swing for a player. As such, the Stewart patent attempted to design a device that would train a player to have a level swing.
Applicants have studied the game of baseball and concluded that a level swing is not necessarily the most advantageous technique for hitting the ball and getting on base. Applicants' non-scientific study of the game has led them to conclude that a player has about a thirty percent chance of reaching base on a fly ball, about a fifty percent chance of reaching base on a ground ball, and about a seventy percent chance of reaching base with a line drive. To hit a line drive, Applicants have found that a slight upstroke during the swing is most likely to yield a line drive hit and therefore get the player on base safely.
It would be desirable to have an apparatus that would train a player to have a fundamentally sound swing and hit a baseball using a slight upstroke as opposed to a level swing. It would also be desirable to have a training machine that increased the power of a player's swing. It would be further desirable to have a training machine that could improve the accuracy of a player's swing by matching their swing with the trajectory of a pitched ball.